1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a horticultural device for raising garden plants though use of magnetism. More particularly, the invention relates to a horticultural device comprising a plate-shaped section in which a fertilizer is imbedded, and a rod-shaped section extending from the bottom side of the plate-shaped section and having or not having a fluid flow passageway, in which at least a portion of the device has a magnetic property.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
It is widely known that magnetism has a profound effect upon the growth of plants. For example, the relationship between plants and magnetism is discussed in "Do Living Things Respond to Magnetism?", published by Kodansha in November of 1985. "Plants and Magnetic Fields", published by Magnesium Kenkyukai in 1985, investigates the growth of rice plants and discloses that the presence of a magnetic field assists rice plants in the absorption of fertilizer. "The growth effect of Germanium on growth of Tangerine Saplings", published by kajitsu Nippon in July of 1966, reports that the total amount of phosphorus absorbed is increased by the installation of magnets, this being based on measurements of elements within the leaves of tangerine saplings. Further, it has been reported that use of magnetized water, obtained by contacting water with a magnet, increases the growth of rice, onions and other vegetables and grains by 10-45% and hastens maturity by 1-3 days ("Magnetic Treatment of Water", published by Nisso Tsushinsha (Japanese-Soviet news agency) on Jan. 25, 1984). More specifically, when plants are subjected to magnetism, the germination of seeds is affected, the growth of the plants is hastened, leaf color grows darker, the plants strongly resist damage by disease and pests, and the plants grow without root rot. Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-5716 discloses a magnet for plant growth in which a powdered strongly magnetic material, an aqueous caking substance and a deliquescent substance are mixed, compression molded and then magnetized. Japanese Patent Publication No. 40-11328 discloses a method of increasing the growth of a living body by utilizing magnetic energy.
Thus, it is evident that the application of magnetism to plants promotes plant growth. In the prior art, however, the magnets and fertilizer are used separately, so that the efficient absorption of the fertilizer by the plants due to the applied magnetism does not necessarily take place at all times. In addition, sufficient care is not taken with respect to the effective utilization of magnetized water.